The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-02-03
THE LIFE OF a DIVER.

There is always peculiar concern
| felt in the operations of diver, and
while the subjoined report of a conver-
sation of one of these submarine work
! men had with a Boston IraUgler re-
! porter does not contain a great deal
| that Is strikingly new. it can hardly fail
TO be strikingiy interesting. Having
| described me suit and explained the
| system of feeding the diver air, he said:
"a diver does not care 10 20 below
| the surface more than 10U feet on ordi-
nary occasions, although there are some
who can go to dep b of $50 feet, bat
| he does not care to remain at this depth
| for any length Of time.
'Of course, there are many dangers
attendant upon Divers life, buJ he is
| apt To become Indifferent to them Until
| within year or two it was sure death
! for a man to have his air pump give out
| or break to occur in his supply pipe;
! but recently valve has been attached
TO the pipe which prevents the air with
IN the dress from escaping If an acci-
| dent occurs to the air supply. Then
| again, some people have an idea that
| divers are attacked by fishes when IN
| the water, but this is not the case. In
! the waters in this vicinity we see but
| very few fish. but in tropical waters we
| see plenty II, however, you leave them
| alone they will leave you alone. The
! shark Is a very cOwardly fish, and will
| seldom attack man; but if one be-
! comes too familiar We let the air escape
| out of cur sleeves, which have elastic
| wristbands, and the Kissing sound
which II makes invariably frightens
them away.
Many people have the idea that the
| bottom OF the ocean is one vast treas
ure bed, and he divers must reap a
| rich harvest when they 90 below. There
| are undoubtedly many treasures in the
| sea, but no one knows their location,
| and, therefore. the divers seldom tiad
anything OF any value.
MANY divers carry on what is called
| the 'wrecking business; that is. they
| purchase the huiks of wrecks in hope of
| obtaining enough out of them TO make
| considerable money. But this is very
| speculative business, as, in MANY in
| stances, the wreck Will be broken to
| pieces by the sea before anything can
| be taken from It, A wre ker OF Boston.
few years ago, purchased for $40, 900
a large ocean steamer which had been
| wre ked, and in less than a week the
vessel went TO pieces, and hs was S10,-
| 900 out OF pocket.
Another and most important part
! OF Divers business is the rescuing Of
| bodies of those who have been drowned.
Until within a few years these bodies
| were recovered, if at all, by means of
graphing irons, ana the bodies were
| often thus bauly mutilated, but nova
| days diver can go down and rescue
| the body with no trouble at all. The
| bodies OF the drowned in wrecks are
| generally in all manner of positions,
| and the diver often sees most horr bic
things in these places. But it not only
| in the ocean that divers rescue bodies,
| but IN ponds and rivers, and sometimes
| even wells This branch of the divers
work IS Il most humane one, and his
enueavors should be reco Lnized.
But the greater part of the divers
| work ut present is what is termed the
| scientific branches; that is, the repair
| ing of DAMS building of seawalIs or
| breahWaterS, the cleaning of steamship
| bottoms, the clearing OF clogged pro-
| pellur5. By Improvements in the armor
| IN recent years, the diver can do about
| ali the work under water that he can
do on land. He carries an electric
| light attached TO his breast, and by it
| he is enabled TO see without difficulty
| in those places where he would be
| unable to work were il not for the
! lgat. Divers undoubtedly see many
| tnIugs which, if they had training in
! science, would Eeip the world of science
| to the solution OF many problems which
| now veNes IL: but the diver becomes
| used to the sights, and therefore sees
nothing remarkable il them. But
many stories published in the papers of
| the sights and experiences Of divers
| Inder water are Of the widest char
| aCtyr and have iii them no shadow of
| truih, and, continued the diver to
whom the reporter was talking, Il have
been in the business some thirtv-hve
! years, and have been in all kinds of
| waters. and | never so much rs heard
of a fish attacking 4 diver. But if one
| should take it into his head TO do this,
il would be a sad day for the diver, for
/ a fish developes surprising strength
! when lie is seen in his native clement,
! and could walk all round a man in no
! lmo.
When an accident happers to a
divers air supply he feels as i he was
in wise. and rs the flexible rubber suit
IS not able 70 Withstand the great pres
sure, while the helmet is, all The blood
in 4 mans body is forced to his head,
and he has 10 have exceedingly strong
! blood vessels in his head to Ue able to
withstand this pressure. and in nine
eases out of ten the mans death is
! caused by the bursting Of these blood
vessels before he can be pulled to the
! surface.
But after all in spite of the danger.
it is fascinating business, and [
wouldn't change it for any other"